Diffusionism as an anthropological school of thought was an attempt to understand the nature of culture in terms of the origin of culture traits and their spread from one society to another. Diffusionism refers to the diffusion or transmission of cultural characteristics or traits from the common society to all other societies. The Biblical theory of human social origin was taken for granted in Renaissance thought (14th century-17th century). The role diffusion played in cultural diversity was acknowledged, but could only be interpreted as the result of cultural decline from an "original Adamic condition" (Hodgen 1964:258). The Renaissance conception of a "Great chain of Being", the hierarchical ordering of human societies, reinforced this Biblical interpretation (Hodgen 1964: Ch. 10). They criticized the Psychic unity of mankind of evolutionists. They believed that most inventions happened just once and men being capable of imitation, these inventions were then diffused to other places. According to them all cultures originated at one point and then spread throughout the world. They opposed the notion of progress from simple to complex forms held by the evolutionists. They also held that primitive or modern are also a relative matter and hence comparative method is not applicable. They looked specifically for variations that gradually occurred while diffusion took place. Versions of diffusionist thought included the conviction that all cultures originated from one culture center (heliocentric diffusion); the more reasonable view that cultures originated from a limited number of culture centers (culture circles); and finally the notion that each society is influenced by others but that the process of diffusion is both contingent and arbitrary (Winthrop 1991:83-84). Diffusionist research originated in the middle of the nineteenth century as a means of understanding the nature of the distribution of human culture across the world. By that time scholars had begun to study not only advanced cultures, but also cultures of nonliterate people (Beals and Hoijer 1959:664). Studying these very diverse cultures created the major issue of discerning how humans progressed from primeval conditions to superior states (Kuklick 1996:161). Among the major questions about this issue was whether human culture had evolved in a manner similar to biological evolution or whether culture spread from innovation centers by diffusion (Hugill 1996:343). The main proponents of British school of Diffusionism were G. Elliot Smith, William J Perry and W.H.R Rivers. They held the view that all cultures originated only in one part of the world. Egypt was the culture center of the world and the cradle of civilization. Hence human culture originated in Egypt and then spread throughout the world. They pointed to the Pyramid like large stone structures and sun worship in several parts of the world. W. H. R. Rivers (1864-1922) was a British doctor and psychiatrist who became interested in ethnology after he went on a Cambridge expedition to the Torres Straits in 1898. He later pursued research in India and Melanesia. His interest in kinship established him as a pioneer in the genealogical method and his background in psychiatry enabled him to do research in the area of sensory perception (Barnard 1996:588). Rivers was converted to diffusionism while writing his book, The History of Melanesian Society, and was the founder of the diffusionist trend in Britain. In 1911, He was the first to speak out again evolutionism (Harris 1968:380). G. Elliot Smith (1871-1937) was a prominent British anatomist who produced a most curious view of cultural distribution that Egypt was the source of all higher culture. He based this on the following assumptions: (1) man was uninventive, culture seldom arose independently, and culture only arose in certain circumstances; (2) these circumstances only existed in ancient Egypt, which was the location from which all culture, except for...

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...1 – What is Anthropology
1. Which of the following is not true about Franz Boas?
A. He was a German-born, Jewish person until the Hitler regime
2. The American Anthropological Association (or AAA) acknowledges the public service role provided by anthropology by recognition of which of the following dimensions of the field?
B. cultural anthropology or allied
3. What is the most critical element of cultural traditions?
C. Their transmission through learning rather than through biological inheritance.
4. What are the four main subdisciplines (four fields) of anthropology?
D. Biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology, and archaeology
5. Which of the following expresses scientists’ preference for explaining biological differences among humans rather than pigeonholing humans into racial classifications?
E. Race is a social construct and is therefore a necessary tool for categorizing people of various cultures
6. Why is it important to understand that human racial categories are based upon perceptions of phenotypic features and not on distinct genetic differences?
F.
G. Because racial categories are internationally standardized
H. Because using a genetic basis for racial differences is more accurate
7. Which of the following is not a...

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A LIFE SITUATION
Peter has been HR Manager for 18years and vice president for 2 more years for Zyedego Corporation, a small company in New Orleans.
ISSUES
After hurricane Katrina employees had been working round the clock to get the company up and running
The company has been calling former employees to rehire them
Gwyn the current manger is planning to rehire Dana Gonzales but she’s pregnant. He is concerned for her safety coz of the rough condition of the workplace. Incase Dana is rehired Gwyn feels that her wages should be reduced by 25% - coz the entire group has exceeded their budget.
But Dana says that if she’s not rehired she’ll go to a competitor and the company should pay her severance of 2 weeks wages
Gwyn is also concerned that Dana may not be a full US citizen coz her documents appeated to be fake. The flood destroyed the original documents and although Gwyn has requested new ones Dana has been slow to provide them.
Hiring of track drivers
The company hires track drivers and routinely request for driving records as part of the pre employment process. Several have DWI (Driving under the Influence) records though all of them happened 5 years ago.
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...Cabral, Nayeli
Professor Feldmeir
Anthro 101
December 9, 2013
Anthropology Essay
Since the term human in nonscientific and it is open to interpretation, many people have different views on it. We each individually define a human in a different manner. Some people might view modern humans as a species that is superior to any other; others might view humans as not even belonging to the animal kingdom! In reality, we are the cousins of the apes! Fossil records have shown the slow evolution of apes to humans.
Humans to me are as much a part of the animal kingdom as a cat is. We may have some distinguished traits that other species might not have such as walking upright, our well-developed brains, and ability of speech but we are still primates. To me, a human is defined as many things. We are quite different than other primate. We were once considered as being an incredibly unique animal but recent studies have shown that we share common traits with other primates.
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Another physical trait that...

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BRANCHES OF ANTHROPOLOGYAnthropology is the scientific study of the origin, physical, social, cultural, behavior development of humans. It is the study of humankind, past and present, in all its aspects especially human culture or human development. Anthropology seeks to uncover principles of behavior that apply to all human communities. To an anthropologist, diversity itself is seen in body shapes and sizes, customs, clothing, speech, religion, and worldview provides a frame of reference for understanding any single aspect of life in any given community.
As a field, anthropology brings an explicit, evolutionary approach to the study of human behavior. Each of anthropology’s four main subfields—sociocultural, biological, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology acknowledges that Homo has a long evolutionary history that must be studied if one is to know what it means to be a human being.
1. SOCIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:
Sociocultural anthropology is relatively a young branch of anthropology and draws together the principle axes of cultural and social anthropology. Since the work of Franz Boas and Bronisław Malinowski in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social anthropology and cultural anthropology has been distinguished from ethnologyRELATION BETWEEN ETHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL...

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You As The Anthropologist
Lone Star Community College
Leah Cruzen
Anthropology enlightens the learner to understand themselves as well as those around them; each culture varies and offers information that is interesting, and in some cases, helpful to our own understanding of what it means to be human. Our ever-changing world is vast, culture-rich place, full of methods and beliefs waiting to be uncovered. The problem is, some anthropologists do not share their findings with the rest of the world; it is a change that would be wonderful to see. Through the use of many anthropological perspectives, we as people can learn and understand about ourselves, those near us, and others across the world. In a beneficial manner, slowly enlightening and making changes to individual’s minds and previously set beliefs, can impact us as a race of humans to truly understand what it means to be human.
Anthropologists are all greatly concerned with obtaining a broader audience to their research and findings. A handful of aspects in relation to anthropology have a natural tendency to attract attention, while others are nearly inexistant and to the public. Anthropology can be used to simply alter and change social conditions for the better. The difference that may come from it will be rather small, but the complexity here he teaches us that any difference,...

...﻿SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ZPY 114-HR7A
Handout No. 2
Anthrophology- coined from two Greek words anthropos which means “man” or “human being” and logos which means “knowledge”.
Four Main Fields of Anthropology
1. Physical or biological anthropology-studies human beings through genetics, inherited traits, evolution and adaptation. It is called physical anthropology because the data it uses are mainly physical to gather information on the evolutionary development of man.
2. Cultural Anthropology-it examines the diversity of human culture of the present and even the recent past. Cultural anthropologists investigate the culture and social organization of a particular group of people, socialization, traditions, and gender relations.
3. Linguistic Anthropology-Lingustics is a science of language. Lingustic anthropology studies the process of human communication. It examines the relationship between language and other aspects of culture like ethnicity, social status and socialization.
4. Archeology-field of anthropology that examines the distribution and form of artifacts, and the cultural patterns or movement of ancient life. It aims to reconstruct man’s past behavior by studying fossils and artifacts.
Franz Boas-Father of American Anthropology.
Early Beginnings of Culture and Society...

...Nathanael Fires
Dr. Kant-Byers
Cultural Anthropology
5/15/15
Essay #2
Cultural anthropologists main job is to study different cultures all over the world and then
to compare the similarities and differences to their own culture or other cultures. This is typically
done by that anthropologist going and living with that cultural group for an extended period of
time so they can learn everything there is to that particularculture. While they are there, they
learn about everything that they can, from the religion to how food and goods are obtained. In a
cultural anthropology class, the students are exposed to these cultures and study the differences
and similarities that are present in different cultures. By studying different cultures, the
perspective of the world and the awareness of other cultures can be broadened. However, there
are people out there who have not been exposed to other cultures and in a sense, are naive to the
world around them. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there is a great probability that not
being aware of other cultures can have a negative affect on a persons career or way of life.
Someone who is considered ethnocentric judges other cultures based on their own beliefs
and culture. Typically, they believe that their way of doing things, is the right...

...﻿Anthropology Jan15th, 2008
Cultural Anthropology
-Margaret Mead went to eastern Samoa in 1925 when she was 23, and spent nine months in the field studying childrearing patterns and adolescent behaviour
-Renato Rosaldo the Ilongot Head-hunters
-Clifford Geertz: the Balinese cockfight
-Douglass Drozdow-St. Christian: what Samoans consider “good and proper body” and the meanings of making babies into “good and proper bodies”Anthropology 025
Introduction to Socio-cultural Anthropology
Ethnographic Method- Immersion of researchers in the lives and cultures of the peoples they are trying to understand in order to comprehend the meanings these people ascribe to their existence (Robbins & Larkin 2006:310).
Participant Observation- The active participation of a researcher or observer in the lives of this being studied (Robbins & Larkin 2006:311)
>Earlier Ethnographers:
Focus in small-scale less complex societies that fell outside the sphere of European influence and culture
Anthropological Theories
>Evolutionism/Diffusionism:
All societies pass through a series of stages.
Lewis Morgan: Proposed that societies progress from inferior to superior under 3 stages: salvages, barbarians and civilized
>American Historicism or Historical Particularism:
The collection of ethnographic facts through direct fieldwork must precede the development...